NBA Commissioner David Stern wasted no time in slapping a large fine on Kobe Bryant for using a homophobic to insult a ref (fucking f**got).

Said Stern:

”Kobe Bryant's comment during last night's game was offensive and inexcusable. While I'm fully aware that basketball is an emotional game, such a distasteful term should never be tolerated. … Kobe and everyone associated with the NBA know that insensitive or derogatory comments are not acceptable and have no place in our game or society.”

His actions are garnering praise from gay rights organizations who were upset with Kobe for saying the slur and then not giving an aopology.

Said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese:

”We applaud Commissioner Stern and the NBA for not only fining Bryant but for recognizing that slurs and derogatory comments have no place on the basketball court or in society at large, We hope such swift and decisive action will send a strong and universal message that this kind of hateful outburst is simply inexcusable no matter what the context.”

In a statement regarding his outburst of, “fucking fa**got,” at last night’s game, Kobe said:

“What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period. The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone.”

Kobe, just apologize!

Just because you didn’t MEAN to offend anyone doesn’t mean you didn’t! What you said was hateful and hurtful.

Anderson Cooper recently revealed that he was offended by the trailer for Vince Vaughn's new comedy, The Dilemma, because in it, one of the characters uses the term "gay" in a negative manner!

He explains:

"I was sitting in a movie theater over the weekend and there was a preview of a movie, and in it, the actor said, 'That's so gay,' and I was shocked that not only that they put it in the movie, but that they put that in the preview, they thought that it was okay to put that in a preview for the movie to get people to go and see it. I just find those words, those terms, we've got to do something to make those words unacceptable cause those words are hurting kids. Someone else I talked to recently said that the words people use and the things people say about other kids online, it enters into their internal dialogue. And when you're a kid, it can change the way you see yourself and the way you think about yourself, and the worth that you give to yourself. I think we need to really focus on what language we're using and how we're treating these kids."

Completely, 100% correct!

It's completely irresponsible to use that sequence as a means to promote the film! What kind of message are they trying to send? And the self-referential, "Oh no, it's okay because I'm not using it as homosexual gay!" is just BS, as far as we're concerned.

We hope that people will start to take this matter seriously, and realize that the ways that we speak to and treat one another filters down to younger people, who may not have the maturity yet to fully grasp and understand what they're recycling from us!

North Carolina's Republican State Representative Larry Brown has come under fire for using derogatory terms referring to homosexuals in an e-mail to at least 60 other state politicians!

Brown allegedly responded to an original e-mail sent out by House Minority Leader Paul Stam - which discussed Democratic House Speaker Joe Hackney's recent award from gay rights group Equality NC - with the message:

"I hope all the queers are thrilled to see him [Hackney]. I'm sure there will be a couple of legislative fruitloops there in the audience."

"I was pretty shocked to see a legislator using that language. Rep. Brown needs to apologize, but we haven't received any contact from him, not a word. It's offensive, but I really don't think he reflects what most North Carolinians think about gay people."

We certainly hope not!

We can't imagine why anyone would think that's an appropriate or acceptable way to behave, let alone on a mass e-mail chain!

So disappointing and wrong - especially because once again, it just proves how so many people in positions of power live with that kind of bigotry and hate inside of them - which gets passed on to our nation's young people.

Shane Redway -- a Canadian rapper and close friend of Drake's -- was killed early Saturday morning in a car crash. He was just 26 years old.

Redway and two others were killed when their car lost control, struck a guardrail and burst into flames. The crash occurred around 4am outside Pearson International Airport in Toronto. It's unclear who was behind the wheel. Police are investigating the crash.

Drake took to Instagram to remember Redway, posting two different tributes.